NBA’s Yao Ming Retires at 30, and Saves a Team

Jul 08, 2011

Citing injuries, Yao Ming retires, perhaps at the worst time, depending on who you are. He’s now a free agent as of July 1. This means, he could have signed on for a huge contract worth tens of millions or more, so he could sparingly play, promise to come back back healthy, not get injured again, and yet still be a presence on the inside. Unlike the many players who have done this, and pretty much failed, he decided to leave honorably while not sucking down a team’s money. Yes, he has enough, and it’s great to see him not stick it to a team. At 30, it would have been easy for him to promise that he’d be perfectly well in the future and have numerous teams believe in him. He averaged 19 points and near 10 rebounds a game in a career cut short.